From the beginning
by Wanda1
Summary: The story of Kane, his family, and his love of Kirsty from the beginning..
1. Default Chapter

THE BEGINNING   CHAPTER 1 

Rose O'hagan had lived in the catholic children's home most of her short life.She was nearly sixteen, a shy unassuming girl, there was nothing remarkable about her.She prefered it that way , being part of the background , being noticed scared her.Rose's best friend Lily was much prettier , she had attracted the unwanted attentions of Father John , and Rose did not want the same fate to befall her.

The two friends were opposites in almost every way , Lily's feisty , flirtatious behaviour hid her pain, while Rose was the quiet, sensible worrier.It was Friday night and Lily was determined to sneak out and have some fun.As usual she had roped her friend in and an excited Lily and reluctant Rose made their way into town.Lily had met a boy the previous day while running an errand and had arranged to meet him and his brother.

Rose gasped when she saw the boys, they looked about eighteen and nineteen and the only clean thing about them was the shiny motorbike that they stood next to.They were very alike ,both tall and blonde with blue eyes and wearing filthy denims.

"This is Chris," Lily pointed to the older brother. "And this is Jake."

Rose looked very nervous as she whispered, "Hello, I'm Rose."

Lily boldly kissed Chris and Rose cringed when Jake grabbed her, but he didn't seem to notice her discomfort.The brothers lived in a grotty bed-sit, they had no other family except a father who was apparently in jail , it all seemed so grown up and exciting to the two girls, who saw little of the real world.They picked up some chips on their way to the bedsit and the girls both gasped at the filth and  mess in the little room.

Chris and Lily ignored the chips and began making out on the sofa, Rose felt very awkward and afraid, not knowing what to do.Jake grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her onto his lap and started kissing her.Rose had never had a boyfriend or even a friend that was a boy.There were only girls at the children's home.This did not feel like the romantic stories she secretly read, but then maybe they were only make believe , maybe it was supposed to be like this.She felt a mild repulsion but did not dare make a fuss or push him away.She put up with his unwelcome advances wishing that Lily would hurry up so that they could go home.But Lily appeared to be in no hurry , so Rose watched her and copied her and pretended that she was enjoying herself , whilst cringing inwardly and trying not to cry.

After what seemed like an eternity Lily finally got up off the sofa and said that it was time to go.Rose couldn't wait to get out of there and was horrified when she heard Lily arranging for them all to meet up the following week.The Phillips brothers readily agreed , after all they didn't get that kind of offer very often.Most of the town avoided them like the plague , they were known troublemakers and would no doubt follow their father to jail one day.

Rose worried that there might be something wrong with her.Why  had she not enjoyed the experience, when Lily seemed to love it? Little did she know that Lily just used it to block out the pain of the priest's abuse , it was a way of regaining control in the only way she knew how.

"Did you like Jake,then?" Lily asked.

"He was OK," said Rose with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

The secret trysts continued , Rose became accustomed to Jake's mauling and if he ever noticed that she was not enjoying the experience he never showed it, because to be honest he didn't care.Then the inevitable happened, Rose found out she was pregnant.She told Jake just after her sixteenth birthday and desperate to get away from the miserable existence at the children's home she married him, thinking that putting up with him would be better than her life there.Lily , not wanting to be left behind lost no time in persuading Chris to make it a double wedding, and Chris who was genuinely fond of Lily and knew when he was onto a good thing agreed.

Rose was happy to be pregnant , for the first time in her life she felt special and was looking forward to the baby being born.A baby that would love her, and that she would love.

The brothers got into some major trouble and decided that they should all move to another town, where they were not so well known.Chris found a reasonable place in a town called Yabbie Creek and for the first time in his life got himself an honest job as a deckhand.Jake however seemed more reluctant to actually work for a living and scrounged off his brother.In the end Lily got tired of this , both she and Chris were working but Rose and Jake just seemed to eat all the food in the house , argue and drink.Infact Lily was growing concerned at the amount Rose was drinking.

"But think of the baby," she tried to warn Rose, but by now Rose was using the alcohol to block out the reality of her sham of a marriage and could not manage without this crutch.It all came to a head when the brothers came to blows over a trivial argument about who drank the last of the milk.

Rose and Jake moved to a dump of a house on the edge of the neighbouring town, Summer Bay.Now friendless and lonely Rose sank deeper into her dependency on alcohol as despair and depression overcame her.Jake spent most of his time out with new friends he made at the pub , unaware or more likely unconcerned with his young wife's plight.He made dodgy deals , dealt in stolen cars and got into fights.He hated not having his brother around but was too proud and stubborn to apologise, so he took out his anger on Rose.She was shocked the first time he hit her, but she had nowhere to go , and she didn't want to have the baby on her own.

"Maybe he'll change when the baby comes along", she tried to convince herself.

Chris , meanwhile was making a real effort.He and Lily had gradually fallen in love , they both worked hard and reluctantly agreed that any contact with Jake and Rose would only drag them down.Although their house was not a palace , they gradually made it into a home , and bought little luxuries with their meagre wages and on the whole were happy.Their only sadness being that they had to stand by and listen to the gossip about Jake and Rose.They had both tried to talk and reason with them , but Chris's brother and Lily's friend seemed to be on the road to self destruction and in no state to listen to reason.


	2. chapter 2

THE BEGINNING- CHAPTER 2

Lily heard that Rose had given birth to a baby boy.She wanted desperately to see her friend but Jake would not allow it.He became abusive and threatening when she turned up  unexpectedly to see Rose.The house was in an even worse state of disrepair with old bits of cars and engines scattered in the yard.The mess was unbelievable and Jake seemed drunk although it was early in the day.

From inside the house Rose heard Jake shouting at Lily, she badly wanted to see her friend , to see anyone.She felt like a prisoner in her own home ,Jake 's friends were the only visitors and she had never felt so lonely in her life.The only good thing in her life was her baby , littly Scotty, she tried to be a good mother to him , but had no experience of family life herself to draw on.She loved Scotty , but sometimes she was too tired or drunk to get up to him straight away,Jake would get angry then , and usually by morning she was nursing sore ribs or a black eye.As much as she loved Scotty she hated Jake.With his demands in the bedroom , his constant complaining and his violent temper, but she saw no way out, she had no friends now , no family , no money and where could she go with little Scotty , Jake would only find them and drag them back.

Scotty grew into a sturdy toddler.He learnt to be wary of his father , but sometimes dad could be fun, picking him up and hoisting him on his shoulders ,laughing and playing with him.His behaviour mirrored his father's and he learnt by the time he was three that shouting at mum , kicking and screaming got results, asking nicely meant you were ignored.Mum didn't really smile much and just mostly sat in her chair watching day-time television , so Scott amused himself playing in the filthy yard and doing much as he pleased.

To her horror Rose found out she was pregnant again , she spent most of her time thinking about leaving Jake , deep down she knew she would never do it , she was too afraid , but somehow the new baby took away the last shreds of hope that her life could ever change.As her belly grew so did her resentment of the new life growing within her.If it wasn't for this baby they could have got away , just her and Scotty , started life afresh , now those dreams were no longer possible.Jake was pleased about the new baby , he would have someone else to control and own , it made him feel powerful-a real man.

The baby was small , not as blonde as Scott , but with the same blue eyes, their father's eyes.It was amazing how quickly he learnt not to cry , because noone would come.Jake soon lost interest in him and complained about the noise , the nappies , everything.Rose did not feel the same surge of love with the new baby that she had when she held Scott . But Scott was pleased he would have someone to play with , someone smaller and weaker who could not hit him, someone to share the pain with.

They called the new baby Kane, by the time he was three and Scott nearly seven he had learnt not to disturb his mother.She didn't want to know.If he fell over and hurt himself then he would wait for Scott to come home from school and show him , Scott would ruffle his hair and suggest some game to play and Kane would forget what hurt him.He wouldn't get a response from his mum when he was hungry or cold and Scott was the one he turned to.Scott liked having a little brother , he knew his mum loved him and could manipulate her to get his own way , he could always blame Kane for any naughtyness , his mum always believed him.And when he felt that rage surging up he could always take it out on Kane, he was so much bigger and stronger than his little brother so he was in no danger of being hit back.And when their parents were having a blue it was nice to have someone in the little bedroom to whisper to , it wasn't as scary.And when their dad came home from the pub ranting and raving it was now Kane that got dragged out of bed , slapped and shaken and locked out of the house.Yes , it was good having a little brother.

Jake took no notice of the boys most of the time , but occasionally when a dodgy deal had come out right he would come home beaming and play with them,tickling and play-fighting and the boys would be happy, there would be food on the table and life seemed sweet.But those times were rare and never lasted , most of the time he ignored them or worse took his frustrations with life out on them using his large fists to make himself feel powerful.His rows with Rose were constant , they never spoke and only rowed or sat in stony silence.The boys spent as little time as possible in the house roaming the neighbourhood and town , getting into petty mischief.

When he was four Kane started preschool.It was attached to the school that Scott attended and Scott walked him there while giving him advice on how to act, their mother never left the house now so Kane was glad Scott was with him.

Kane couldn't believe his eyes when he entered the classroom , it was so clean and bright and there were real toys there.His blue eyes darted around the room , unable to take it all in at once.A girl of about eighteen came up to him,

"Hi I'm Kaitlyn," she said. "I'm here to help you , Mrs.Bromley is the teacher," she pointed at the middle aged lady sitting at a desk. "Shall I put your lunch box with the others."

"What  lunch-box" thought Kane , but kept his eyes fixed firmly on the floor .

"Did you forget your lunch?" she asked.

Kane shrugged , he wasn't sure what she meant.He never ate until Scott came home from school he hadn't got a lunch-box.

Mrs. Bromley came over, she was a bossy old fashioned kind of teacher , counting the days to her retirement and pension.

"I don't suppose this one's got any lunch," she made no attempt to lower her voice, "his brother's in the school , he was just the same, it's a problem family, as if we don't all have problems!Let's hope this one's not as bad as Scott."She turned to look at Kane.

"Kane , isn't it, well I don't put up with any nonsense in my class , do you understand?"

Kane understood that tone of voice and stared even harder at the brightly coloured floor, Kaitlyn felt sorry for the little boy , it was hardly his fault if his mum didn't pack him a lunch and if his older brother was a handful.

She attempted to make eye contact , but Kane continued to stare at the floor.

"Would you like to play with the construction kit on this table?" she asked.

Kane's eyes lit up , he had always wanted to play with these type of toys but they had no toys at home.

He shrugged his shoulders , which Kaitlyn took to be a sign that he was interested and she showed him where to sit.He was soon absorbed in building a car and she smiled to herself , poor kid was probably just shy.But just five minutes later she looked round in alarm.The boy sitting next to Kane was crying.

"He hit me!He hit me!"

Kaitlyn rushed over, "We do not hit each other in this class!" she hadn't shouted ,but had raised her voice and was horrified when Kane raised his little hands to cover his head and pleaded with her, "Don't hit me, please!"

It tore at her heart that this little child was afraid of her, afraid that she would hit him.What sort of a home did he come from, what sort of parents did he have to provoke such a reaction?

Kaitlyn tried to reassure him that noone ever got hit in this class , but  that that meant that the children could not hit each other either.Kane was puzzled , what sort of a world was this , it wasn't like his world.Could he trust this lady? What she was saying was too strange to trust , a place where you didn't get hit.He wasn't ready to believe it yet , such a place couldn't exist, even if he wanted it to.

"Now say sorry to Dougie," Kaitlyn told Kane.He looked puzzled again , but did as she said , she was the grown-up ,he wasn't going to risk testing out if she was telling the truth about not hitting him.Dougie grinned at him , his tears forgotten and gave Kane back the piece of construction toy he had taken for his model.

"Here you have it, your cars way better then mine anyway."

"Thanks," said Kane and the two little boys became friends.

Kaitlyn went over to Mrs.Bromley and told her what had happened.

"So it looks like Kane Phillips is going to turn out to be a little thug like his brother," said Mrs.Bromley.

"But that's not what I'm worried about ," Kaitlyn tried in vain to get her to understand. "It was he way he reacted to me, he thought I was going to hit him.It makes me worried about his home-life."

"Look Kaitlyn , they are a problem family.The father is a drunken thug , the mother, well who knows, she doesn't seem to go out.The social workers investigated the family and while there were concerns they decided the boys were best off in their home environment .The boys just probably take after their father.There really is nothing we can do except try and keep his behaviour under control so that the other parents don't complain."

Kaitlyn was not satisfied with Mrs.Brumley's response , and worried annd wondered about Kane all the way home.She resolved to do something about it , but was not quite sure what yet.


	3. ch 3

THE BEGINNING Chapter 3

Kaitlyn decided to find out all she could about the Phillips family and the details she uncovered shocked her.Apparently there had been a third child a baby girl born two years after Kane.This child had been removed from the parental home and adopted in the interests of her safety.The boys however were not removed, it was thought that it would be too hard to find a placement for them together , especially in view of Scott's behavioural problems and the department was reluctant to break the obviously strong bond between the boys.Due to departmental and staff changes the family seemed to have slipped through the net and been forgotten.Kaitlyn rang the department with her concerns and they promised to investigate.Unfortunately the message was lost in the system and unaware that the help that was so desperately needed was not going to materialise Kaitlyn went home feeling something would be done.Her urgency was due to the fact that she was moving to the city with her partner, and was herself having a baby in two months time.

The next day at the preschool Kaitlyn kept an eye on Kane.He seemed happy when playing with Dougie, a cheerful chubby child with the biggest cheekiest smile.She noticed that Kane now occasionally smiled and laughed, but then it was difficult not to with Dougie around.He was obviously nervous of Mrs.Bromley and Kaitlyn felt that the older teacher tended to pick on him unnecessarily.As soon as Mrs.Bromley went anywhere near him he seemed to cringe and look at the ground and Kaitlyn found herself becoming very irritated by Mrs.Bromley's attitude.

After school that day Kaitlyn confronted the older woman.

" Mrs. Bromley  I have noticed that you do seem to criticise Kane Phillips rather a lot and seem rather tough on him."

Mrs.Bromley did not take kindly to criticism and answered rather sharply,

"I do hope you are not trying to teach me my job , young lady! I have been a teacher for nearly thirty years and children like that need to know who is boss.Just look at his brother, we don't need two of them acting like wild animals in the school.Discipline that's what Kane needs and that is what I shall provide!" and with that she stomped off muttering to herself.

Kaitlyn hoped she hadn't made things worse for Kane, she only had a few more days before she left for her new life in the city, and she knew that the memory of that little boy would haunt her for a long time.

On her last day at the preschool Kaitlyn was disappointed that Kane was absent.She had hoped to say goodbye to him in person.The day flew by with leaving gifts and lots of little cards that the children had made.As she was leaving the building she was surprised when she saw Scott Phillips approaching.

"Kane's sick , but he made this for ya, asked me to give it to ya." He said handing her a large envelope with a picture of a boat that Kane had drawn and coloured in.

"Thank-you, tell him I said it's lovely and I hope he's feeling better soon.What's wrong with him anyway?"

"Dunno" Scott answered and ran off.  

On impulse Kaitlyn decided to follow him, and as he turned the corner she saw Kane waiting for him.His face was battered , two black eyes and a livid bruise on his cheek.The two boys ran off together.She wanted to run after them to confirm her worst suspicions that those bruises were not caused accidentally but she had a terrible stitch in her side and her pregnancy slowed her down.She felt warm tears fall down her cheeks, tears of sadness and frustration.

"If anyone did that to my child I would kill them!" she said out loud feeling the baby inside her kick.

Kaitlyn and her partner moved to a lovely apartment in the city , she soon made friends with the neighbours especially the woman next door who had an adorable little toddler called Ellie.Ellie's mum Jane confided in Kaitlyn that Ellie was a very precious child to them , because following ovarian cancer she had been unable to have children , and they had adopted Ellie after several years of waiting.Ellie had the most gorgeous blue eyes and was such a happy contented little girl that everyone who ever met her adored her.

Kaitlyn had a baby girl and called her Ebony.Ellie absolutely adored the baby and as the years passed the two little girls became best friends just like their mums.The only blight in their otherwise perfect world was Ellie's cousin Josh.He was a couple of years older and such a spoilt brat.He had to have his own way all the time and sulked and lost his temper easily.Unfortunately his mother and Jane were sisters and so he often spent time with them when his mother was busy with her career.Both Kaitlyn and Jane had chosen to be stay at home mums and she looked down her nose at them, but she still used them to look after Josh in the school holidays, much to Ellie and Ebony's annoyance.They hated it when Posh-Josh ,as the girls had nick-named him,

 came round , he bullied them and constantly showed off about the new things his parents had bought him.But deep down they knew he was jealous of them because his mum never spent time with him, and so they tried to be nice , only he made it so hard.

Occassionally as the years went by Kaitlyn would remember the little boy from Summer Bay who had tugged at her heart strings.She was glad she had contacted the department about him and hoped that his life was easier now.Unfortunately although she didn't know it life was just as hard as ever for Kane.


	4. chapter 4

The Beginning  4

Kane's friendship with Dougie was just about the only good thing in his life.Mrs.Bromley had tried to split them up , sitting them at different tables to do their work and even trying to warn Dougie's mum about the sort of friend he had made,but somehow the boys' friendship flourished . Dougie's mum Mrs. Brown was aware of the gossip surrounding the Phillips family , but she could see no harm in the unlikely alliance.Dougie and Kane were like chalk and cheese.Dougie was a big ,chubby cheerful child,  full of confidence , but inclined to like a bit of a drama ,he laughed easily, cried easily and hugged easily.Kane was small and skinny , wary of adults, with no confidence , he never cried or made a fuss , and when he smiled ,it was a slow hesitant smile that spread unexpectedly across his face,showing dimples that would disappear as soon as anyone noticed.Kane almost always shared Dougies snacks , he never had any himself , and Dougie liked sharing,it was in his nature to be generous.And in return Kane got Dougie into mischief, which Dougie thoroughly enjoyed!

Kane sometimes went to Dougie's after school , it was like a palace to Kane,clean and big with beautiful things and most of all a kind mum who didn't shout and cooked nice meals.To any one else it was just a normal,average sort of a home.Kane always left before Dougie's dad came home from work.Dougie said his dad was as nice as his mum, but so far Kane hadn't felt brave enough to test this out.After all he always told Dougie that his parents were nice too , so for all he knew Dougie could be lying.

Kane was eating round Dougie's house one day, when Dougie asked his mum if Kane could sleep the night.She hesitated, six years old might be a bit young,what if Kane missed his parents?

Kane nearly choked on his drink when she asked this.He spent most of his time dreaming up ways of leaving home , he'd certainly never worried about missing his parents.

"Please mum," Dougie pleaded .

"Well OK, but you'll have to ring home and check with your mum first," she said to Kane, "do you know the number?"

The Phillips's didn't actually have a phone,it would be too much of a life-line for Rose for Jake to allow it, but Kane wasn't about to let that stand in the way of a golden opportunity to stay away from home for the night.

"Yeah, yeah,I know the number," he lied, lying already came easily to Kane, it was a useful survival mechanism when trying to avoid a beating.

Kane went over to the phone and casually dialled a random number.Alf Stewart,a man who owned the general store wondered what was going on when he answered the phone and a little voice calling him mum thanked him for letting him stay the night.

Kane and Dougie had a brilliant time playing with all Dougies toys.Kane was laughing out loud at something comical Dougie was doing when he suddenly froze in his tracks.He had been having such a good time he had forgotten all about Dougie's dad.Mr.Brown had heard the boys playing upstairs and came up to say hello.Dougie didn't notice the look of terror on his little friends face as he threw himself into his dad's arms.

"Dad,dad,dad, this is Kane, he's my best friend and mum said he could stay the night, it's great isn't it," as Dougie paused for breath, Mr.Brown looked at the skinny little boy in the baggy t-shirt and torn jeans.He noticed that Kane backed away and looked at the floor.Thinking Kane was just a bit shy he knealt down and smiled reassuringly at him.Slowly Kane looked up and even more slowly he smiled back.He felt less afraid now he had seen Mr.Brown , for he and Dougie were so alike especially when they were both smiling.

Mr.Brown went downstairs to eat his meal with his wife.

"That little boy's a bit timid," he commented.

"He might just be frightened of men sweetheart, you know who his father is?"

Mr.Brown shook his head, and Mrs.Brown replied,

"Jake Phillips"

"Poor kid," said MrBrown quietly , "you wouldn't want Jake Phillips looking after a dog ,  never mind a kid."

Kane was astounded that Dougie had infact been telling the truth.Mr.Brown was every bit as nice as his wife.Being aware of the effect he had on Kane when he first saw him , Mr.Brown had made a special effort not to do anything to alarm him.By the time it was time for the boys to go to bed , Kane had made the shocking discovery that not all men were like his father, some were actually fun and not scary at all, and not all parents acted like his parents.

When they were lying in their beds in Dougies bedroom, Kane whispered to Dougie,

"Are your mum and dad always like that?"

"Like what/"

"Well really cool,"

Dougie had never thought of his parents as cool.

"How do you mean" , he asked.

"Well do they ever shout or hit ya,"

"Not really shout and they've never hit me.Except once mummy smacked my leg cos I ran across the road and she was scared I was gonna be run over."

"Wow, that's really cool." said Kane , while Dougie wondered what was so cool about having your leg smacked.

The next morning was even more of an eye-opener.This family ate breakfast , not only that but they ate it together.It was like being in a different world , like the families Kane had seen on the telly.He ate as much as possible, he never knew how long he'd have to go between meals so it wise to stock up.

"Jeez!Where does a little fella like you put it all?" laughed Mr.Brown,wishing he hadn't said anything the minute the words were out of his mouth.Kane looked unsure and hesitant.Had he done wrong , was this where the shouting and hitting would start?But Mr.Brown had realised his mistake and quickly tried to put him at his ease.

"I love to see kids with big healthy appetites ,myself" he beamed at Kane, "here have some more bacon."

Kane visibly relaxed and the incident was quickly forgotten.

Soon it was time for Kane to go home, Mr.Brown insisted on driving him home.Kane was scared that his dad would be at home and cause a scene, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed his dad's car was not there.

"Thanks heaps for letting me stay!", he grinned to the man, then took a deep breath and went into his house.

Mr.Brown drove off ,he had heard of and met Kane's father, and did not like what he knew about him.But he had been unprepared for the squalor of the dump of a house on the edge of town.

"How on earth can people live like that?" he asked himself.

Later that day Kane asked his mum why she and his father weren't like Dougie's parents , she ignored him as usual , her mind numb with anti-depressants and alcohol.Kane's voice irritated her, it always had, she thought as she concentrated on the American talk-show on the telly.But Kane's father heard, he was drunk and angry.He grabbed Kane and delivered some punches to the terrified boy before slinging him out of the house and locking the door.Rose turned up the volume on the TV to drown out the noise.

Kane never stayed at Dougie's again.His father had forbidden it.But he never forgot that one magical night he had spent away from home.It fuelled in him a desire to run away and he spent more and more time at the wharf watching the boats sailing away, wishing he was anywhere but there, and anyone but himself,and that his life was like Dougies.

When Kane was ten years old Dougie's family moved away.Kane never had another friendship as close as the one those boys shared,and he often felt lonely and angry that his life was different to that of his schoolfriends.Dougie had never judged him, they were so young when they met that they just accepted the differences in their lives without question.But Kane was older now and knew that the kids at school looked down on him, his scruffy clothes , his dirty dump of a home, his trouble-making brother, his violent father and reclusive mother.He knew what they thought of him.He was scum.And what was worse he thought of himself as scum too.

Kane's behaviour at school and out deteriorated over the next few years,he spent more time with Scott getting into petty crime and mischief , his life seemingly mapped out to follow his father's and brother's example.Scott had dropped out of school at fifteen,just like his father before him .Now at eighteen he had already been convicted of joy-riding,assault and various minor offences and like his father spent time in prison, albeit a juvenile one.Kane kept going to school , however, it gave him a break from his father and Scott's violence, and even if he was bored most of the time he enjoyed the fact that although most of the kids hated him , he had a small band of followers who admired him.He did what they didn't dare.He was rude to the teachers, didn't do any homework, bullied the unpopular kids and was singularly cool and unconcerned about the teachers reactions.Who cared what the teachers thought, he knew that they looked down on him , why should he make life easy for them,the Mrs.Bromley's of this world.He hated them and thought that they hated him, and what were they going to do about it, lt's not as if they could even hit him! 

Lily sometimes thought about her former friend Rose.She no longer hanckered after her friendship, she had other friends now, but Rose had the one thing Lily wanted more than anything in the world.Children.She hated Rose now, hated her with a vengeance, how could she treat her kids so badly , how could she not leave that brute.The worst day for Lily was when she heard that Rose's daughter had been taken away.She felt no pity for Rose, all she felt was the pain of being childless, while Rose destroyed the lives of her sons and gave away her daughter without a fight.How could she?!As the years passed she sometimes glimpsed the boys, but they rarely spoke, each knowing how Jake felt about his brother and his wife.They never had the chance to get close.

Ebony and Ellie remained best friends as did their mums.They were happy children, secure in their parents love.They were both doing well at school and were popular with teachers and pupils alike.Life was good and they had the school holidays to look forward to.

Kaitlyn was discussing holiday plans with Jane, they were to go to Summer Bay with their daughters who were now ten and twelve, they were looking forward to it , the only down-side being that Jane had been saddled with her nephew Josh for the trip.Kaitlyn was describing Summer Bay to the others , recalling the happy time she had spent there, when suddenly the image of a frightened little boy popped into her mind.

"I wonder how things are with Kane," she thought "God,I doubt if I'd even recognise him now, he'd be about Josh's age."

"Who?" asked Jane.

Kaitlyn didn't realise that she had spoken out loud at first,and described her time at the pre-school and Kane to her friend.

"You definitely did the right thing reporting it to the department," said her friend. "I should imagine he's fine now thanks to you."

"I hope so ," said Kaitlyn,but she couldn't shake an uneasy feeling and that image just wouldn't go away.  


	5. chapter 5

It was Josh's birthday and his last day at his expensive boarding school before the start of the holidays.He was looking forward to going home but resented the fact that he would only have a few days with his parents before being shipped off on holiday with aunt Jane , her stupid daughter and their friends.Still he had lavish birthday party and lots of presents to look forward to.He had written out a long list and sent it to his parents, he knew he would get exactly what he had demanded , sometimes the fact that they felt guilty about spending all their time on their successful carreers  paid off.He had had a minor tantrum when his father had told him that many of the guests at the party would be business contacts of his and their families, but Josh had in the end been persuaded by the abundance of extra presents this would mean.

The party was in full swing and Kaitlyn and Jane nudged each other trying not laugh.

"Fancy laying on a posh do like this for a fourteen-year old, it's ridiculous," said Jane.

"I know.I'm surprised they even let us in , what a waste of money!And he doesn't even look like he's enjoying it, spoilt brat!" said Kaitlyn, pointing towards Josh who had a face on him that could have soured milk.

"Do you remember Ellie's party," asked Jane. "It might not have cost the earth but at least the kids looked like they were enjoying themselves!"

"Oh!It was a lovely day , a bouncy castle, nice simple food lots of noise and music , a fair amount of presents and home-made cake! Perfect and the kids went to bed exhausted and happy while we had a glass of wine and left the tidying to the men!Who could ask for more?"

"Have you got everything packed for our trip yet?" asked Jane.

"No , I've got all day tomorrow, you know me, it'll be a last minute rush!"

Kane came home from school, it was the last day and he just wanted to change out of his school clothes and go to the wharf.He heard yelling as he approached the house,nothing new there then.He went round the back , hoping his parents wouldn't see him and slipped into the bed room.He'd just put on his t-shirt when he suddenly noticed it had gone quiet.Then just as suddenly total madness broke loose.He could hear his father alternately shouting and pleading with his mother.

"Wake up, come on , move, speak to me!"

Kane glanced into the room , his mother lay on the floor , blood seeping from her head, her eyes glazed and open.She was dead.He stood there for a moment in fascinated horror , his mouth open , not daring to breathe,then suddenly he turned and ran.He didn't know where he was running to, he didn't care.He had to get away.Away from that horrific scene, his father crying, bent over his mother's body, pleading with her not to be dead.

He started to think more clearly, he needed to find Scott, Scott would know what to do.He went to all the places where Scott hung out with his shady friends,desperate to find him.He eventually caught up with him at the pub.He gestured Scott to come outside, and told him what had happened.

"Are you sure she's dead?" asked Scott.

"Well I didn't go over and check her pulse if that's what you mean," replied Kane.

"So  you're not sure," replied Scott.

Jeez his brother could be thick, thought Kane.

"Look mate, she's dead, he's finally gone and done it and killed her.What do we do?"

"Nothing," said Scott.

"Nothing!" shouted Kane, "Wadda ya mean nothing!"

"Well, genius what do you think we should do, ring the cops?" answered Scott sarcastically. "Look we do nothing , we say nothing.This is the old man's mess, let him deal with it.If he get's done for killing her then fine, we're shut of him.If he gets away with it it's not our problem and he'll shoot through any way, let's just keep quiet and keep out of the way ,OK?"

Kane nodded and walked away.He didn't know what he had expected Scott to do, but he needed more than his brother could offer him, he needed someone to appreciate the shock of what he'd seen , to sympathise, to make it better.Scott had been so cold, it was as though he had no feelings.Kane shivered ,although it was a warm sunny day.He carried on walking and found himself at the wharf.He sat there ,alone, hugging his knees as the tears ran down his face.He didn't know why he was crying, he knew he wouldn't miss his mum.She'd never liked him anyway, he didn't think he loved her.He didn't care much what happened to his dad, at least it sounded as if they would be free of him at last, and that could only be a good thing.No he wouldn't miss his parents, that's not why he was crying.He was crying because he felt so alone, he was crying because noone cared and noone knew what it felt like to be him.He wiped his eyes, stood up and felt a rage within him.He walked up the road, casually picked up a large stone and threw it through a car window.The sound of the glass shattering made him feel good, it made him feel alive.He picked up another stone and threw it , he smiled to himself as the next window shattered, and the next.He carried on until a man came running out of his house shouting.Kane laughed, stuck his fingers up at him and ran off, the man chasing after him.Kane turned to look at him, he was fat and middle aged, puffing and panting,he laughed again as he saw the man giving up the chase and he felt the anger subside.

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iIt was Josh

iIt was Josh's birthday and his last day at his expensive boarding school before the start of the holidays

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	6. chapter 6

              CHAPTER 6

Kaitlyn,Jane,Ellie and Ebony loved the caravan park in Summer Bay.Josh hated it.

"Why can't we stay in a hotel, this place is so scratty!" he whined for the hundredth time.

Jane rolled her eyes at Kaitlyn who pulled a face behind Josh's face.The two girls saw their mums antics and started giggling.Josh was not amused and hit Ellie.

"That's enough Josh West!" said Jane. "This may not be a five star hotel , but we're all going to get along and we will have no hitting.Now apologise to Ellie or you won't come to the beach with us."

Josh muttered an insincere apology and they all got ready for the beach.On the way Kaitlyn bought the local paper , it was full of news about the suspicious death of Rose Phillips.Various neighbours and busybodies had given interviews describing the family from hell and their thoughts as to Jake Phillips sudden disappearance.There was little sympathy expressed for the two teenagers left without parents , they were troublemakers , scum and would no doubt turn out like their parents.

Kaitlyn gasped as she read the report, it seemed as though that little boy that she cried tears of despair over had had a miserable life.The help she thought he would get had not materialised, 

"If only I'd done more," she thought to herself , even though there had not been any more she could have done.

Kaitlyn showed Jane the newspaper report,

"That's the boy I was telling you about," she said, tears in her eyes, "why did noone help, I thought they would help him."

"It's not your fault Kait," said Jane and although Kaitlyn knew this to be true she could not shake the cloud of sadness that hung over her.

Not wishing to spoil the mood for the others she went for a walk to think and clear her head, while they carried on to the beach.She walked to the wharf, her thoughts keeping her occupied.It was quiet at the wharf , there was only one other person there ,a solitary figure sitting on the wooden floor leaning against a post and staring out to sea.As he heard her footsteps on the wood he turned his head and stared at her.Even after all this time she recognised him immediately.

"Kane!" she said surprised to see the object of her thoughts large as life in front of her.

"Do I know ya?!" he answered .

"Well , I knew you a long time ago , so you might not recognise me.I taught you in your preschool ages ago."

"Kaitlyn," he said simply.

She was surprised that he remembered , but the truth was he could remember every good thing  that ever happened to him, every kind word anyone ever spoke to him, mostly because these events were so rare.

"I'm surprised you remember," said Kaitlyn.Kane shrugged and looked at the ground, Kaitlyn felt that same constriction around her heart as all those years ago at the gesture of unease. Then he looked up, looked her square in the eyes and smiled as he said,

"Course I remember , you were so cool , heaps better than that old dragon of a teacher.She hated me."

Kaitlyn was going to make some platitude , but instead said,

"Yes , I guess she did.But that just showed her ignorance , I loved teaching you and that smiley , chubby kid.What was his name?" she asked.

Kane smiled as he remembered,

"Dougie"

They talked for ages about the things that he and Dougie had got up to at school.Their main aim in life had been to annoy Mrs. Bromley and they both laughed as they remembered long forgotten escapades.

"I stayed over at Dougie's once." Kane said. "It was unreal.But then dad did his block so I couldn't stay over again.His parents were so cool , and his dad used to joke around just like Dougie."

He stopped smiling when he added , "but that's all in the past.Dougie moved away years ago."

"I heard about your parents, it was in the paper.I'm sorry." Said Kaitlyn.

"Well you're the only one who is!" said Kane roughly. "Me'n Scott're heaps better off without them! They sucked and no one flaming misses them!"

Kaitlyn was alarmed by the vehemence in this statement, he looked so angry yet so vulnerable. 

"My daughter and our friends are at the beach ," she said on impulse. "We're having a picnic, you're welcome to come and join us."

"R,r,,really," Said Kane amazed. "I've never been invited to a picnic before.Cool!"

He was smiling again as they approached the others on the beach.He avoided eye contact for a while but soon relaxed in the company of the two women and their friendly daughters.Josh was surfing and he looked suspiciously at Kane as he returned to the others.

"Who's that?" Josh pointed rudely at Kane.

"This is Kane, I used to teach him years ago when I lived in Summer Bay." Answered Kaitlyn.

Josh looked Kane up and down , obviously unimpressed by what he saw , Kane was used to being looked at like that but he wasn't going to ignore it.

"Wotchu lookin' at ?" he demanded.

"Nothing" said Josh , "absolutely nothing."

It was obvious they were not going to get along. "Do you have a surf board? Mine is top of the range , it cost so much!" asked Josh.

"No," said Kane.

"I'd let you have a go on mine , but it's too expensive to risk loaning out to just anybody," said Josh in his usual arrogant manner.

Kane just glared at him , but Josh carried on pushing his luck.He could see by the clothes Kane wore that he was obviously not wealthy, not a designer label in sight. 

"So what do your parents do , my dad's a business man and my mother's a journalist.They're both very successful" boasted Josh.

"My dad's a flaming astronaut and my mum's a flaming brain surgeon!" Kane replied.The two girls giggled and smiled at Kane, they liked it when someone stood up to Josh.And Ellie didn't know why but she felt very drawn to this rough , scruffy boy.

"Really," said Josh, "funny but according to what I overheard my aunt and Kaitlyn saying about todays newspaper your mother is dead and your father is a murderer!"

Everyone gasped in horror at what Josh said, but Kane smiled a viscious deadly smile and hissed,

"Really , funny but according to what I overheard you're a complete tosser!"

"How dare you , you scum.." Josh didn't finish his sentence due to his chin connecting with Kane's fist.

"Go Kane!" said Ebony. Kane looked around at everyone, he'd ruined their day , he felt embarrassed and awful and mumbled "Sorry" towards Kaitlyn , whilst running off.

While Jane took care of Josh who was making a monumental fuss , Ellie ran off after Kane.She didn't know what made her run after him , it was a connection , but she didn't understand it.Ebony ran after her.

Ellie found Kane sitting on a rock, throwing stones into the sea.

"Hi" she said.

"Hey" he answered.

"I'm sorry about Josh , you're right he is a total tosser!" she laughed as she said it.Kane looked at her , there was something familiar about her, yet he knew they had never met before.It was a weird feeling , but he didn't understand what it was.

"Please come back we haven't had the picnic yet and I'm starving." Said Ellie.

"Yes, come back," puffed Ebony who had caught the older girl up.

Kane thought about the food and the chance to spend more time with this girl, although he didn't know why he wanted to.

"Yeah, yeah, OK, and I promise I won't do my block again." He replied.

"Well we don't mind if you hit Posh-Josh again!" the girls laughed. Ellie's blue eyes sparkled and her dimple appeared.Kane's blue eyes mirrored hers and the dimple in his cheek flashed back. Ebony laughed "Race you!" she shouted  and they ran back to the beach.

Josh was not impressed that Kane had rejoined them.Moreover he appeared to be enjoying himself , and so did everyone else. 

"He's eaten all the ham sandwiches," whined Josh. It was true Kane had eaten an awful lot but Josh was just looking for something to moan about.

"So what," said Ellie , leaping to Kane's defence, "eat something else, sorry we didn't pack any lobster or caviar!"

Kane and Ebony sniggered and Josh glared.He hated this common boy , who did he think he was . 

They spent a lovely day at the beach every one enjoying themselves , except Josh who ironically was the only one with expensive gear to play with. They splashed and chatted and laughed and Kane forgot his worries and problems for the whole day. They were just thinking about packing up when Kane heard a familiar voice.

"Hey!Kane!Where ya been all day?" shouted Scott.

"Nowhere , just here," answered Kane.

"The cops've caught dad!" shouted Scott.

"Serves the mongrel right!" Kane yelled back.

"Yeah! Ya coming home now?"

"OK!" he shouted back.He turned to  Kaitlyn and thanked her for everything.

"Hope we see you again," said Ellie.He hoped so too.

"Poor kid," said Jane to Kaitlyn, "imagine going through all that . Still at least he had a nice day where he didn't have to think about anything bad."

"I know," said Kaitlyn , "I wonder what Scott is like these days , he used to be such a tearaway.Although that's not really surprising."

Later that day they went to the diner.Colleen Smart , the local busybody had noticed them on the beach earlier and couldn't wait to express her opinion .

"That was the Phillips boy I saw with you at the beach, wasn't it?" she didn't wait for a reply as she added , "Kane , the younger one it was, shocking business , that family have been the scourge of Summer Bay for years, good job they're finally going to put Jake Phillips in prison for good , not before time.Bad news the lot of them.Those boys will wind up in prison too, mark my words.Jeff  Wright reckoned he saw that Kane vandalising cars the other day.They just run wild like savages, always have."

She would have gone on for longer , but the owner of the diner cut her tirade short.

"For heavens sake , shut up Colleen,"

But it was too late ,Scott and Kane , who had just walked in heard every word.

"Stupid cow!" said Scott, "come on Kane , let's go."

"Now, now , stay lads , have a burger on the house," Alf Stewart , the owner, tried to placate them.Partly because he was a compassionate man and partly because he knew their reputation and didn't want to come back in the morning to find his windows smashed.

Kane looked at his brother , hoping he would say yes , so that he would get to talk to Ellie again .

"OK then," as usual Scott answered for both of them.He was surprised when Kane sat with the blonde girl that he had seen him with earlier, but left him to it.

"I'm going to the pub Kane," he said as he left , munching on his burger.Kane couldn't help but sigh. He knew what would happen , his brother would get drunk and take his temper out on him when he got home.

"What's the matter?" Ellie asked.

"Nothing," he smiled back. "Everything's fine."

They didn't see Kane again during their holiday.Ellie couldn't understand why she felt so disappointed.Why did she want to see him so badly?She didn't fancy him, she had only recently begun fancying boys at all , and she knew it wasn't that.But it was something.

Scott had got home that night in a filthy temper, he'd lost all his money betting on the losing football team.Kane heard the door slam , and the bedroom door burst open as Scott nearly ripped it off it's hinges.

"Get outa bed and make me something to eat!" Scott shouted. "NOW!"

Kane got up , scurrying past his bigger elder brother.He knew better than to argue with him.Unfortunately for Kane there was nothing in the house to eat. Kane was supposed to have done some shopping but he'd forgotten.

"You stupid , flaming , idiot!" Scott shouted as he punched Kane in the face.Unlike with his father Kane did try and fight back against his brother , but it was useless.Scott was much taller and stronger and pretty soon Kane was too badly hurt to fight any more.As he fell to the ground Scott kicked him and then left him where he lay, going to bed.

Kane lay there , wishing things could be different, but knowing that Scott would never change.He knew that Scott would be sorry in the morning and that whatever life threw at them they only had each other.He wished his life was as simple as Ellie's.He had hoped to see her again before she went back to the city , but he knew he couldn't show his face until the bruises healed.There would be too many questions asked otherwise and whatever else happened he and Scott would always look out for each other.It had always been just the two of them against the world, he reckoned it always would be.

    Lily was shocked by what she read in the papers.Her husband was upset at the news that his brother had sunk so low.

"Do you think we should check that the boys are OK?" he asked.

But Lily was more concerned with Chris's health, he had been diagnosed with cancer and she did not want to jeapordise his recovery.

"No , dear , it wouldn't be good for your health to start worrying about them.Scott's eighteen now , he'll be able to take care of Kane.And I'm sure social workers will keep an eye on them.You have to concentrate on yourself and getting better." Lily replied.

Back in the city Ellie told her mum about the strange feeling she had about Kane. Jane reassured her that it was probably just a holiday crush.Ellie didn't think so , but didn't disagree with her mum. After Ellie went to bed , Jane got out some old documents. They were Ellie's adoption papers and in amongst them was a description of Ellie's biological family.They were not named , but Jane knew that it was more than coincidence.The family was extremely abusive , there were two older brothers.The ages fitted.Then Jane took out an old creased photograph showing Ellie's brothers aged two and six.She stared and stared and the smiling skinny boy on the photograph stared back.She knew it was Kane Phillips , but she didn't know if she should tell Ellie.


	7. chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Jane had discussed her findings with her husband Mike.They both decided that it would be too risky to tell Ellie now.The Phillips boys were obviously going through rough times and Ellie at twelve would not be able to handle the knowledge that her father had killed her mother.She did not have a tough upbringing and was not old enough at twelve to understand the sort of lives her biological family lead , besides which they felt that Scott and Kane might be a disruptive influence on her life.

Jane had confided in Kaitlyn , who was shocked , but remembered that there had indeed been a daughter.She felt sad that the siblings would not know about each other for the time being , but respected Jane's need to protect her daughter.Ellie would find out when she was eighteen and at that age would be able to make up her own mind whether she wanted to contact the Phillips brothers and in the meantime they hoped she would forget about the boy she briefly met on holiday.

Time passed and  Scott continued to get into more and more trouble. He stole and sold on cars , got into fights , broke into houses and was generally despised by the people of Summer Bay.Often he would drag Kane into his wrong-doing, Kane really had no choice , but sometimes he enjoyed the feeling of power , the adrenalin rush of driving away a stolen car. His main passion though remained boats , he had sat on that wharf watching them come and go for as long as he could remember.He often earned a bit of money helping out and dreamed of owning his own boat one day.He never shared these dreams with Scott , Scott would only have laughed at him , squashed those dreams, so he kept them locked up inside himself.

Lilly was distraught , Chris had lost his battle against cancer.She had invited Scott and Kane to the funeral , but Scott told her to rack off.Where had their aunt and uncle been when their parents had gone , he wanted to know! Why should they go to the funeral of someone who didn't give a damn.Kane had wanted to go , he remembered seeing his uncle working as a deckhand and the secret times when he slipped him some money saying, " don't tell your dad." But as usual Scott decided for both of them. Kane did however send his aunt a card saying how sorry he was , another secret from Scott.

Kane was becoming more of a problem at school.He was rude to the teachers and violent with other pupils.Mr.Fisher the headmaster was at his wits end, it wasn't as though he could call Scott into the school to discuss Kane , after all he had been even worse when he was a pupil.

Josh was slowly becoming more and more resentful of his parents.Sure they gave him everything money could buy , and he knew that they loved him , it just seemed that the love came with a price.So much was expected of him , no one asked him what he wanted.To be honest he didn't know what he wanted , all he knew was that he didn't want to be like them! He became even more moody and sullen , and isolated himself at his expensive boarding school , pushing away those boys who had previously been his friends.

Ellie was blossoming into a beautiful girl , everyone commented on the blueness of her eyes and lovely smile.She was popular and did well at school , remaining firm friends with her young neighbour Ebony.

Josh's eighteenth birthday was rapidly approaching and as his parents were planning a lavish party and talking about him joining his father's business.He was feeling more and more trapped. He didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps but his parents didn't understand.

"So what do you want to do then , dear" his mother asked.

"I don't know , but I need to get out there and find out what the real world is about."

That night his parents discussed this and decided that the best thing to do would be to let him have his own way as usual , if he didn't want to be working for his father then he would only sulk and drive everyone mad if they forced him to.

"Let him see what the real world is like , I'll give him a year tops before he comes back.He'll have got it out of his system and be raring to go.My father let me have a year off before joining the business , and it did me no harm." Said Josh's father.It was decided that Josh would leave a few days after the party , he was to stand on his own two feet after touring Europe and Asia , but with the understanding that if he needed help , his parents would bail him out.

Kane's birthday had been a few weeks earlier.Just as with every other birthday no one remembered , he only remembered himself because the teacher had written the date on the board at school , and asked the class the significance of it.It was the date of some battle they were supposed to have looked up for their homework , but when the teacher asked 

"Who knows of a significant event in history that occurred on this day?"

Kane blurted out , "Yeah , I was born."

The class all laughed but the teacher wasn't amused, not that Kane cared anyway. He was bored so he decided that since it was his birthday he'd take the rest of the day off.He picked up his bag and walked out. The teacher didn't even bother saying anything they were used to this kind of behaviour from Kane Phillips , but try as they might to get rid of him , the education department insisted he remain.Words such as deprived , emotional problems, socio-economic-problems and so on were bandied about. But all the teachers wanted was to get this disruptive boy out of the school so they could get on with teaching the other pupils and most of the parents felt the same way.

A new teacher had started at the school , Shauna bumped into the boy and spoke to him.She wanted to know why he had dodged her PE class.Truth was he had to many bruises from his latest run-in with Scott , but he made some smart remark and walked off. Shauna asked about him , the other teachers explained how he was violent and unpredictable and his chequered family history.Shauna felt sorry for him and treated him kindly , no one at school had ever done that before , he wondered why she was being nice to him. It was so long since anyone had treated him like a human being ,and soon  he developed a crush on the pretty young PE teacher.

Shauna grew concerned that Kane appeared to be developing feelings for her. She knew of his background and history of trouble-making and turned to her partner Jude Lawson for help. Jude became very angry and when he saw Kane he gave him a piece of his mind and threatened him.

The next day the gossip was all over Summer Bay , Kane Phillips had been admitted to hospital in a critical condition, the police would interview him as soon as he regained consciousness , the fingers were pointing at Jude Lawson. Jude and Shauna knew that he was innocent and were shocked when Kane made a statement to the police blaming Jude for the attack.

Shauna was determined to prove Jude's innocence and decided to confront Kane.He wouldn't tell her who had beaten him up , but when Scott approached he looked so terrified that the answer was staring her in the face.She remembered the missed PE lessons , the odd black-eye always put down to fighting , the typical behaviour pattern of a victim of domestic violence.She knew she had to speak to Kane again , but this time she would get the truth and the evidence she needed to prove Jude's innocence.

Scott was angry and scared.He hadn't meant to hurt Kane so badly , it was just that when something inside him snapped he couldn't stop.Anyway it was Kane's fault , he'd kept some money back from Scott , what did he expect.He needed to be taught a lesson , he needed to know who was boss.

Kane had always known his brother was capable of violence , but recently he had been totally losing control , he knew that one day he might kill him the same way their father had killed their mother , but like her he didn't know how to get away , who to talk to, and at the end of the day Scott was all he had and they had always looked out for each other.

Shauna spoke to Kane again , this time he admitted that it was Scott who had nearly killed him , but no way was he going to the cops.Scott was his brother and anyway he would kill him for sure if he found out.Shauna , however , had taped the conversation , and said she would go to the police herself.

Kane panicked , he couldn't let his brother go to prison , after all it was his fault , he shouldn't have kept the money , Scott was bound to have found out , no wonder he did his block. He told Scott about the tape, Scott went berserk , he ordered Kane into the car and sped off at a dangerous speed.Kane didn't know what Scott was planning to do but one thing was obvious , Scott was totally out of control and Kane was terrified.

Scott saw Shauna up ahead and dragged her into the car.They drove to a secluded warehouse , where Scott held Shauna prisoner trying to get her to tell him what she had done with the tape.Shauna's only hope was Kane , but could he overcome his fear of his brother and his misplaced loyalty to help her. She spoke to Kane behind Scott's back , Kane agreed to help her but Scott was getting suspicious and what was more he had a gun. In the end Kane risked his own life to help Shauna get out , she told the police how he had helped her and charges were only made against Scott.

Kane felt terrible , he had betrayed his brother.He knew he had done the right thing but it didn't make it any easier. The folk of Summer Bay looked on him with renewed disgust , just look what those Phillips boys had done now, OK he had come good in the end , but he had taken his time about it.Shauna knew what he had been through , how hard it had been for him , but she was safe now welcomed home by Jude and her step-father Alf and her many friends.

Kane on the other hand had no one to welcome him home , infact he no longer had a home.His landlord slung him out.He had no family to talk the ordeal over with , he had betrayed his only family to save Shauna and now no one wanted to know him any way.He didn't know what to do where to turn , all he knew was that he was scared and alone and that there was a rage in him and he had no idea how to deal with it.Eventually he found temporary refuge at the drop in centre, but all the locals made sure they steered well clear of him and warned their children to do the same.

Dani Sutherland was having boyfriend problems.She was worried that Will still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend , Gypsy, and their romance was becoming a complicated on- off affair , a mine field of mind games while Dani kept testing his loyalty.Dani didn't know why but she felt drawn to Kane Phillips.He fascinated her and the fact that everyone warned her to stay away from him only made her illicit meetings with him more exciting. Mr.Fisher had caught them kissing in the common room , her foster – sister had seen them too , even Gypsy had warned her that she was playing with fire.The boy was dangerous and unstable they warned, look at his background , look at the kidnap.But Dani did not want to listen to them and carried on seeing him behind Will's back.

Kane wasn't sure what was going on.This princess of the bay , he'd even called her a spoilt princess, was meeting with him, kissing him.At first he thought it might be a joke , maybe she would go back to her nice friends in their nice houses and laugh at him. But she assured him she liked him , he felt special , things like this didn't happen to people like him!

One day he helped her carry her shopping into the house.They were alone and he started to kiss her.She said something about having a boyfriend , but Kane wasn't listening, he knew what she wanted.Dani told Kane about Will but still he didn't stop kissing her, why wasn't he listening.He started to take things further , he thought she might have said 'no' , but he wasn't sure , anyway if she meant 'no' she would resist wouldn't she , but she was doing nothing to stop him.Dani was scared she had said 'no', why didn't he stop?Why couldn't he tell she didn't want to, she was terrified, she froze in shock and horror, she knew he wasn't going to stop. Why was she so quiet , he thought , wasn't she enjoying it,well who cares anyway, didn't some girls pretend not to enjoy it so they wouldn't look tarty.

It was over. On the way out of the house Kane saw Brodie , Dani's foster-sister.

"Me and Dani are an item now," he told her.Brodie went into the house. Dani was crying she felt dirty, she hadn't wanted him to do it , why hadn't he stopped?Why had she frozen?Maybe if she had said it more forcefully he would have stopped.? Maybe he hadn't understood , but she had said 'no'.She had been raped!

The police arrested Kane , he couldn't believe it, she had wanted it , he was sure of that, why was she lying , hadn't he been through enough already. Some people doubted Dani as details of the elicit affair came out.But most rallied round her , after all who would you believe a nice girl like Dani or a loser like Kane Phillips.As the court-date approached Kane was losing his grip, he knew everyone hated him , he went to school and the looks were full of disgust and scorn.He lashed out at anyone and everyone who crossed his path.When would the nightmare be over , when would people believe him.

Dani was having a terrible time , she wasn't sure if she should take the case to court.The secret affair was being uncovered piece by piece , what if people didn't believe her.Luckily she had a strong family and lots of good friends to see her through, but she still had nightmares and she still felt dirty, she didn't know if she would ever get over it.

The verdict came in 'not guilty' , but if Kane thought that it would make any difference to people's attitudes he was very much mistaken. He was branded now , not only was he scum , now he was rapist scum , the lowest of the low, filthy and disgusting , not fit to breathe the same air as the rest of Summer Bay.

Dani was glad that everyone believed her , the ordeal was hard enough to bear any way but at least she knew she had the support of family and friends.Kane was cracking under the pressure , he knew he had to get out of there or he would lose his grip on reality altogether.He couldn't understand why everyone took Dani's side.Even the court had aquitted him , why couldn't anyone understand that he thought she wanted to do it.He moved schools to Summer Bay and moved in with Aunt  Lily, she didn't want him there but felt she owed it to Chris's memory to have Kane stay.He soon quit his new school , everyone there had heard about the rape , no one wanted to know him. He got a job working on the ferry as a deckhand.He loved his job and for the first time in his life found something he was good at.He kept out of his aunt's way as much as possible , he knew she didn't really like him, but at least he had a roof over his head.

Josh travelled around Europe and Asia , he relied on his parents money to finance his travels , but eventually returned to Australia and still refusing to join the family business decided to strike out on his own.He got a job as a life guard in Summer Bay and started going out with a pretty girl called Dani.

Ellie was sixteen now and growing more curious about her biological family.Her parents had kept abreast of the news in Summer Bay via Kaitlyn who still had some friends there , including Mark who had just taken a job as a counsellor at the drop in centre.They had heard about the kidnap and the rape.How could they tell their beautiful , innocent daughter about the awful family she came from.A father in prison for killing her mother.One brother a violent sociopath another a rapist.No they would protect her from this knowledge for as long as they could.She would not be able to find out unless she made her own enquiries and she could not do that until she was eighteen.Maybe she wouldn't want to know by then, they hoped.

Kaitlyn had been horrified by the news of the kidnap and rape.She could not imagine the Kane she knew doing something like that.She believed the girl had been raped , but after everything he had just been through maybe the jury were right , maybe he had mis-read the signals , and made the most terrible mistake of his life.A mistake that would stay with him and the girl forever and touch so many other people's lives. Kaitlyn cried once more for that little boy , that nobody's child, but this time she cried for the poor girl whose innocent life would be innocent no more, how had fate thrown them together to deal such a cruel blow.

Dani was getting nowhere in her relationship with Josh.He was becoming frustrated , wanting to take the relationship to the next level , but Dani was not ready.Thoughts of Kane filled her head when Josh touched her.She tried to explain it to Josh , but he didn't seem to understand .She asked Mark's advice and after some counselling sessions she decided that the only way to get Kane out of her head was to confront him.To make him see what he had done and how it had ruined her life.Mark advised her to think about this very carefully , and to talk it over with her family before making a final decision.She made up her mind she needed to confront Kane.


End file.
